Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is an important pulse crop grown and consumed all over the world, especially in the Afro-Asian countries. It is a good source of carbohydrates and protein, and protein quality is considered to be better than other pulses. Chickpea has significant amounts of all the essential amino acids except sulphur-containing amino acids, which can be complemented by adding cereals to the daily diet. Starch is the major storage carbohydrate followed by dietary fibre, oligosaccharides and simple sugars such as glucose and sucrose. Although lipids are present in low amounts, chickpea is rich in nutritionally important unsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic and oleic acids. β-Sitosterol, campesterol and stigmasterol are important sterols present in chickpea oil. Ca, Mg, P and, especially, K are also present in chickpea seeds. Chickpea is a good source of important vitamins such as riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, folate and the vitamin A precursor β-carotene. As with other pulses, chickpea seeds also contain anti-nutritional factors which can be reduced or eliminated by different cooking techniques. Chickpea has several potential health benefits, and, in combination with other pulses and cereals, it could have beneficial effects on some of the important human diseases such as CVD, type 2 diabetes, digestive diseases and some cancers. Overall, chickpea is an important pulse crop with a diverse array of potential nutritional and health benefits.

http://exploreit.icrisat.org/sites/default/files/uploads/1378788243_BJN_Chickpea_Paper_Gaur_etal._2012_Review.pdf

Nutritional quality and health benefits of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.): a review.

Chemical structural and chain conformational characterization of some bioactive polysaccharides isolated from natural sources

Many diseases are associated with oxidative stress caused by free radicals. Current research is directed towards finding naturally-occurring antioxidants of plant origin. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the in vitro antioxidant activities of Spondias pinnata stem bark extract. A 70% methanol extract of Spondias pinnata stem bark was studied in vitro for total antioxidant activity, for scavenging of hydroxyl radicals, superoxide anions, nitric oxide, hydrogen peroxide, peroxynitrite, singlet oxygen and hypochlorous acid, and for iron chelating capacity, reducing power, and phenolic and flavonoid contents. The extract showed total antioxidant activity with a trolox equivalent antioxidant concentration (TEAC) value of 0.78 ± 0.02. The IC50 values for scavenging of free radicals were 112.18 ± 3.27 μg/ml, 13.46 ± 0.66 μg/ml and 24.48 ± 2.31 μg/ml for hydroxyl, superoxide and nitric oxide, respectively. The IC50 for hydrogen peroxide scavenging was 44.74 ± 25.61 mg/ml. For the peroxynitrite, singlet oxygen and hypochlorous acid scavenging activities the IC50 values were 716.32 ± 32.25 μg/ml, 58.07 ± 5.36 μg/ml and 127.99 ± 6.26 μg/ml, respectively. The extract was found to be a potent iron chelator with IC50 = 66.54 ± 0.84 μg/ml. The reducing power was increased with increasing amounts of extract. The plant extract (100 mg) yielded 91.47 ± 0.004 mg/ml gallic acid-equivalent phenolic content and 350.5 ± 0.004 mg/ml quercetin-equivalent flavonoid content. The present study provides evidence that a 70% methanol extract of Spondias pinnata stem bark is a potential source of natural antioxidants.

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Antioxidant and free radical scavenging activity of Spondias pinnata

This review article presents the traditional and medicinal uses, and examines recent investigations on the biological activities of extracts, and chemicals identified from mangroves and mangal associates. Metabolites identified from mangrove plants are classified according to ‘chemical classes’, and some of their structures are illustrated. The article also presents some of the functions of the chemicals present and attempt to emphasize and create an awareness of the great of potential mangroves and mangal associates possess as a source of novel agrochemicals, compounds of medicinal value, and a new source of many already known biologically active compounds.

Bioactivities, bioactive compounds and chemical constituents of mangrove plants

Purification, composition analysis and antioxidant activity of a polysaccharide from the fruiting bodies of Ganoderma atrum

The major sterols of the seeds ofBenincasa cerifera, Cucumis sativus, Cucurbita maxima, C. pepo andTrichosanthes japonica and of the mature plant tissues (leaves and stems) ofCitrullus battich, Cucumis sativus andGynostemma pentaphyllum of the family Cucurbitaceae were 24-ethyl-Δ(7)-sterols which were accompanied by small amounts of saturated and Δ(5)-and Δ(8)-sterols. The 24-ethyl-Δ(7,22),Δ(7,25(27)) and Δ(7,22,25(27))-sterols constituted the predominant sterols for the seed materials, whereas the 24-ethyl-Δ(7) and Δ(7,22)-sterols were the major ones for the mature plant tissues. The configurations of C-24 of the alkylsterols were examined by high resolution(1)H NMR and(13)C NMR spectroscopy. Most of the 24-methyl- and 24-ethylsterols examined which lack a Δ(25(27))-bond (i.e., 24-methyl-, 24-methyl-Δ(22)-, 24-ethyl- and 24-ethyl-Δ(22) sterols) were shown to occur as the C-24 epimeric mixtures in which the 24α-epimers predominated in most cases. The 24-ethylsterols which possess a Δ(25(27)) (i.e., 24-ethyl-Δ(25(27))-and 24-ethyl-Δ(7,22,25(27))-sterols) were, on the other hand, composed of only 24β-epimers. The Δ(8)-sterols identified and characterized were four 24-ethyl-sterols: 24α-and 24β-ethyl-5α-cholesta-8,22-dien-3β-ol, 24β-ethyl-5α-cholesta-8,25(27)-dien-3β-ol and 24β-ethyl-5α-cholesta-8,22,25(27)-trien-3β-ol. This seems to be the first case of the detection of Δ(8)-sterols lacking a 4-methyl group in higher plants, and among the four Δ(8)-sterols the latter two are considered to be new sterols. The probable biogenetic role of the Δ(8)-sterols and the possible biosynthetic pathways leading to the 24α- and 24β-alkylsterols in Cucurbitaceae are discussed.

Sterols of cucurbitaceae: The configurations at C-24 of 24-Alkyl-Δ5-,Δ7- and Δ8-sterols

Pectic polysaccharides were obtained from chalkumra (Benincasa hispida) fruit by sequential extraction with ammonium oxalate (fraction BOX), dilute acid (fraction BHCl), and cold dilute alkali (fra...

Cell wall polysaccharides from chalkumra (Benincasa hispida) fruit. Part I. Isolation and characterization of pectins.

The sterol fractions of the unsaponifiable lipids obtained from 32 seed and mature plant (leaves and stems, pericarp of the fruit, and roots) materials from the 12 generaApodanthera, Benincasa, Citrullus, Coccinea, Cucumis, Cucurbita, Gynostemma, Lagenaria, Luffa, Momordica, Sechium andTrichosanthes, of the family Cucurbitaceae were investigated by gas liquid chromatography (GLC) on an OV-17 glass capillary column. Among the 23 sterols with Δ5-, Δ7- and Δ8-skeletons identified by GLC, the Δ7-sterols were found to be the major sterols of most of the Cucurbitaceae investigated. The seed materials contained 24-ethyl-Δ7-sterols possessing Δ25-bonds, i.e. 24-ethylcholesta-7,25-dienol and 24-ethylcholesta-7,22,25-trienol, whereas the mature plant materials contained 24-ethyl-Δ7sterols without a Δ25-bond, i.e. 24-ethylcholest-7-enol and 24-ethylcholesta-7,22-dienol, as the most predominant sterols, with a few exceptions. The isolation and identification of 24α-ethylcholesta-8(14),22-dienol from the aerial parts ofCucumis sativus also is described.

Swapnadip Thakur

Papers

Sterols of cucurbitaceae: The configurations at C-24 of 24-Alkyl-Δ5-,Δ7- and Δ8-sterols

Cell wall polysaccharides from chalkumra (Benincasa hispida) fruit. Part I. Isolation and characterization of pectins.

Sterol compositions of seeds and mature plants of family cucurbitaceae

Sterols of some Clerodendrum species (verbenaceae): Occurrence of the 24α- and 24β-epimers of 24-ethylsterols lacking a Δ25-bond

The 24α- and 24β-epimers of 24-ethylcholesta-5,22-dien-3β-ol in two Clerodendrum species